Reasons to Stay: A Review of Community-Led Efforts to Generate Rootedness

Abstract

Executive Summary

Lack of livelihood opportunities, violence, and other pressures lead many youth from across El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to migrate without documentation, with significant numbers attempting to reach the United States. Yet other youth, facing similar obstacles, find or create opportunities closer to home. This article complements the emerging research on what motivates individuals in high-migration areas to remain in their country of origin by reviewing how community-led organizations across these countries have contributed to creating opportunities for youth locally. After briefly reviewing the evidence on factors associated with rootedness (the combination of economic, social, civic, and cultural ties to one’s homeland), we describe the experience of 17 community-led organizations, all grantees of the Inter-American Foundation (IAF), and identify how the organizations have contributed to income generation, education, and civic engagement, factors often associated with greater likelihood of remaining in one’s locality or country. Much of the effectiveness of these organizations derives from their locally-led efforts to provide increasingly comprehensive approaches to youth development that boosts how young people perceive themselves and their potential in the world, while strengthening their connection to their communities. This comprehensive approach, more than any single intervention, makes the difference in allowing youth to remain in their home countries.